Method of making track shoes



Jan. 10, 1950 c. w. SINCLAIR METHOD OF MAKING TRACK SHOES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed March 22, 1944 JNVENTOR. CHARLES w. SINCLAIR ATTORNEYS Jan. W, NW C. w. SINCLAIR METHOD OF MAKING TRACK SHOES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original File d March 22, 1944 INVENTOR.

CHARLES W.SIN CLAIR ATTORNEYS Jan. 10, 1950 c. w. SINCLAIR.

METHOD OF MAKING TRACK SHOES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed March 22, 1944 FIGJS.

INVENTOR. CHARLES w. smcL'Am ATTO RNEYS Patented Jan. 10, 1950 METHOD or MAKING TRACKLSHQES Charles W. Sinclair, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Company, Detroit, Mich.,

a corporation of Delaware v Original application March 22 1944, Serial No.

, The invention relates to vehicle track shoes and refers more particularly to the method of making shoes which are connected to form an endless ground engaging track for a vehicle such as a tank, truck, tractor and the like.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide an improved method of making a vehicle track shoe which is of relatively light weight and relatively strong construction.

The invention has for another object to so construct the shoe that it has an air space and is water-tight so that the trapped air increases the buoyancy of the shoe.

With these and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel features as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a vehicle track shoe embodying the invention;

, Figure 2 is a rear elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 4 is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a cross section on the line 5-5 of Figure 3; i

Divided and this application May 20, 1946, Serial No. 671,031 I Figure 6 is a top plan View of the bearing unit of the shoe;

Figure 7 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the casing of the shoe;

Figure 9 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a bottom plan view of the cleat and brace unit;

Figure 11 is a rear elevation thereof;

Figure 12 is a top plan view of another shoe embodying the invention;

Figure 13 is a side view thereof;

Figure 14 is a cross section on the line l4--l4 of Figure 12 showing portions of adjacent con nected shoes;

Figure 15 is a cross section on the line l5l.5 of Figure 13.

This application is a division of my copend-, ing application, Serial No. 527,617, filed March 22, 1944, and while the vehicle track shoe embodying the invention may be used with a number of different types of vehicles, it is shown in the present instance as designed particularly for use with an amphibious tank and comprises the bearing unit I, the casing 2 encircling and fixedly secured to the bearing unit, and the cleat and brace unit 3 fixedly secured to the ground side or bottom wall of the casing.

is a cross section on the line 9-9 5 and the spacers 6 extending between and fixedly secured ,to the bearing members. The bearing members are alike and are seamless or welded metal and, more particularly, steel tubes which are sized both internally and externally. The spacers are alike and are sheet, metal and, more particularly, sheetsteel plates of a width substantially equal to the external diameter of the tubes. The spacers have integral transverse flanges] attheir ends which are made arcuate or concave. to fit the tubes. The spacer plates extend transverselyof and preferably at right angles to the tubes and are spaced longitudinally of the tubes and united thereto as by being welded orbrazed at.8 along thev ends of the transverse flanges l. p The tubular bearing members are constructed to, tightly engage rubber bushings which are spaced longitudinally of and are Vulcanized to pins which extend through the bearing members. v

,The casing 2 is formed of the complemental sheet metaland, more particularly,-sheet steel channel-shaped sections 9 and which are pref erably pressed from fiat sheet blanks The sections arejopposedand open toward each other and ar fix l secure e each et e y b t welding the adjacent edges together at H to form a casing with open ends. ,The casing thus formed is sized to have a shrink fit'on the bear}- ing unit I' and is fixedly'secured to the bearing unit by welding the casing at its ends to the tubes and the end spacer plates at l2 and [3, respectively. .It will be noted that all of. the spacer plates are provided withthe notches M in their opposite edges substantiallymidway of their ends.

These notchesare of a size to clear any internal weld flash which may remain after rough-trimming the weld flash resulting'from' the welding of the two casing sections together. The weld"- in'g material for uniting thecasing 'to the tubes and the end s'pa'cerplates is continuous or end-- less and close'sthe notches in'the end spacer plates so that the shoe has a water-tight air space between the tubes andthe trapped air serves to increase the buoyancy of the shoe.

The shoe is one of a number'of'likeshoes which form an endless track and are pivotally connected together by' means including the previously mentioned pins which extend throughv the tubes 4 and 5. For the purpose of interlocking the shoes to laterally guide and position the same with respect to each other when they are angularly positioned with respect to each other, as when The bearing unit I comprises the spaced subflit passing around a wheel, the casing 2 has its sized and then the spacer plates are united to the tubes by being welded or brazed at 8, the unit as thus formed being shown in Figures 6 and "I. The casing 2 is formed by pressing from flat sheet steel blanks the channel-shaped sections 9 and I0, the projections I5 and I6 and thelike projections I27 and I8, respectively, being preferably formed during the pressing operation. The sections are then placed in opposed relation with tween the ends of the casing and the projections I8 are like the projections lGKandlQcatedaatopposite ends of the projection. ITheprojection I5 has a wall in continuation of the top wall of the casing and the projections I6 have walls in continuation of the bottom wall of the casing. The projections lI and l8 are the reverse of the projections *:I5 and H5, the projection I! having a wall in continuation "of *the bottom wall of the casing land the projections I 8 having walls in :continuation of the top wall :of the casing. With-this arrangement it :willibe seen that when adjacent shoes "are angularlyarranged with respect to each-:other,raswhen passing over a wheel, the projection -I5 of-one shoe extends between the projections I8 of thezimmediately adjacent shoe so! that these shoes: are 'laterally interlocked. ilhe air spaces formed =by the projections I5, I6, I] and [8 .also serve l to increase the buoyancy of the shoe. *Inlthis :connectiongthe weight oran actual shoe iniair'is 8A2 pounds and its weight in \water is 6;51pounds so that the air trapped in'thespace between-the tubes-andin the projectio'ns accounts 'for 'a' buoyancy of 1.91 pounds.

The portions of the front and rear walls of the casingbetween the projections and also laterally outward beyond the projections are arcuate or concave and have a radius such that when the casing'is shrunk on to the bearing unit these portions tightly fit the'front and rear portions of the tubes of the *bearingunit. Also thecasing top and bottom walls tightly engage the top and bottom edges-of'the spacers with themesultthat the spacers are placed-undercompression "vertically, as well-as horizontally. By reason of the flanges atthe-ends of thespacers'suflicient area is provided toprevent indentation or collapse of the tubes.

*The cleat and brace unit 3 comprisesthe cleat I9 and'the bracesZOQboth the cleat'and'braces belng'formed of sheetimetal and, more particularly, sheet steel. Theicleat extends transversely of the'fbottom wall of the casing and'has the central 'rearwardly extending V-shaped portion 21 the .legs of .whichmerge into the arcuate portions 22, eachof whichin turnmerges into the rearwardly extending wingportions'23. The wing portionsbriclgebeyondthe ends of the casing and their top edges are fixedly secured to'the braces which close the spaces'betweenthe' wing portions of the casing and have upturnededges 24. The portions of the top'edge of the cleat opposite the .bottom wall of the casing and also the upturnededges of the.braces are fixedly secured to the bottom wall of the casing as'by being welded thereto at 25 and'26, respectively. Withthis arrangement, .the cleat andbraceunit: forms .an effective .paddle forpropellingthe tank in water. I ,In rthe,manufacture of .the shoe the bearing unit .I is formed .by arranging "the vspacer plates Btransversely of and preferably latright angles toan'dbetween the tubes 4 and '5 which'have'been butt-welding the same together at I I. fiash bothinside and outside the casing is then theirchannels opening toward each other and with their projections reversed to be complemen- .tal, afterwhich the adjacent edges are united by The weld rough-trimmed. Then the casing is heat treated to secure the required hardness of the metal, after whichthe casing is sized in a suitable manner as by pushing a predeterminedly sized plug through the casing. The casing as thus formed is shown particularly in Figures 8 and 9. The cleat and brace unit is formed by properly locating the cleat I9 and the braces 20 and then uniting their adjacent edges as by welding the same together, this unit'be ing shown particularly in Figures 10 and'll.

The next step in the manufacture comprises uniting the cleat and brace unit to the casing by welding the two together at 25 and 26, respective- 'ly. Then the assembly comprising the casing and the cleat and brace unit is heated to a temperature'of from 600 F. to 700 R, which is below the draw'temperature, to relieve the metal, including 'the'welds, from strain and'to expand the casing sufilciently to give it the required shrink fit on the bearing unit. At this time, the bearing unit is inserted into the casing, after which the casing is allowed to shrink upon and tightly grip the bearing unit. Then the casing is united toth'e tubes 4 and 5 and the end spacer plates by welding the same at I2 and'IB, respectively, the welding material closing'the notches It in the end spacer platesand being continuous or endlessrto make the completed shoe water-tight and to trap airrin the air space formed between the tubesrof the shoe'and also the air spaces in the projections I5, I6, I] and I8.

'Inthe modification illustrated in Figures '12, 13, 14 and 15, the shoe comprises the bearing unit 21,, the casing'28'encircling and'fiXedly-secured-to the bearing unit, and the cleat 28 fixedly secured to theground side or bottom wall of the casing.

The'bearing unitZ'I is formed in the samemanher. as the bearing unit I, with the exception that the spacerstfl are plates of greaterthicknessthan the spacerplatet andare preferably weldedor brazedat both sides .to thetubes. The thickness is sufficient to avoid indentation or collapse of the tubes under the compression exerted by the casing when the latter is shrunk on thebearing unit.

The casing'28 is also 'formed in generallyithe same manner as the casing 2, with the exception that the complementally arranged projections in the ,front and rear walls of the .casing '28 diifer and .the weld flash inside the casing resulting from the butt-welding of thecasing sections .is not removed. More particularly, the casing has initsfront .wall theprojection 3| which is located centrallybetweenthe ends of the casing andhas a jwallin continuation of the top wall of the casing. The casing also has at the opposite ends of the-p ojection 3| the projections (32 each having a wall in continuation ofthebottom Wall of .the casing. The rear wall of .the casinghas the pair of projections 33 each with a wall in continuation jections 34 each with a wall in continuation of the bottom wall of the casing. The projections are so arranged that when the shoe is annularly arranged with respect to an adjacent shoe, such as shown in Figure 14, the projection 3| extends between the projections 33 to laterally interlock the shoes.

The cleat 29 differs from the cleat and brace unit 3 in that the cleat 29 is generally V-shaped and is located within the ends of the casing so that braces are not necessary. The cleat is also preferably made hollow to decrease its weight.

In the manufacture, the steps of making the bearin unit and the casing are substantially the same as those in making the bearing unit I and the casing 2. Also the cleat is welded to the casing prior to shrink-fitting the casing on the bearing unit so that the welds are relieved from stress.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The method of making a vehicle track shoe comprising forming a bearing unit by arranging spacers between tubular bearing members and welding the spacers to the bearing members, forming a casing by pressing fiat blanks into channel-shaped sections with like bosses in their bases, arranging the sections with their channels opening toward each other and with the bosses reversed to be complemental and uniting the adjacent edges of the sections together to form a casing, and then shrinking the casing on the bearing unit.

2. The method of making a vehicle track shoe comprising forming a bearing unit by arranging sheet metal spacer plates transversely of and between and spaced longitudinally of metal tubes and uniting the spacer plates to the tubes, forming a casing by uniting adjacent edges of opposed channel-shaped sheet metal sections together, shrinking the casing on the bearing unit, and welding the casing at its ends to the tubes and certain of the spacer plates with an endless weld to make the shoe water-tight.

3. The method of making a vehicle track shoe comprising forming a bearing unit, forming a sheet metal tubular casing to a size determined by the bearing unit, welding a cleat to the casing, heating the casing and cleat assembly to a temperature below the draw temperature of the sheet metal of the casing to relieve the welding material from strain and to expand the casing, and then sleeving the casing over the bearing unit and allowing the casing to shrink upon and tightly grip the bearing unit.

CHARLES W. SINCLAIR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,930,277 Lenz et a1 Oct. 10, 1933 1,947,462 Doonbar Feb. 20, 1934 1,952,545 Gotshall Mar. 27, 1934 2,211,897 Johnston Aug. 20, 1940 2,234,927 Kubaugh Mar. 11, 1941 2,304,739 Bailey Dec. 15, 1942 2,321,202 Heine June 8, 1943 2,356,779 Morrison Aug. 29, 1944 2,366,450 Krotz Jan. 2, 1945 2,422,483 Hanshalter June 17, 1947 

